Michael J. Riley has joined Couristan, overseeing the company's Residential and Hospitality divisions.

FORT LEE, NJ -- George G. Couri, chairman, and Ronald J. Couri, CEO of Couristan, Inc. have announced the appointment of Michael J. Riley as president of Couristan. Riley was most recently president of Oriental Weavers USA.

Couristan, established in 1926, is a leading global manufacturer, importer and distributor of fine rugs, broadloom and custom carpets for the residential and hospitality markets. Couristan is privately owned and has been managed by the Couri family for two generations. To support the continued growth of their company, the Couris sought an industry leader with the expertise to direct Couristan's sales and merchandising growth in today's rapidly changing retail and e-commerce channels and to further expand Couristan's distribution strategy.

"In order to accelerate the transformation of Couristan to respond to the changes in the marketplace for the coming decades, Mike is the perfect fit to join my brother Ron and me in leading those efforts," said George Couri, "with his expertise across Couristan's Residential and Hospitality divisions he will be an asset to the company." Ron Couri added, "Mike is someone we have known for many years and will be a great addition to lead our company's growth."

As president, Riley will be overseeing Couristan's Residential and Hospitality sales teams. Under his leadership, Steve Codella will now be heading sales of the Broadloom and Roll Runner Divisions and Mark Ferullo, who recently joined Couristan, will be in charge of area rug sales. Niall Coree will continue to oversee the sales and operations of the Contract/Hospitality division, reporting to Riley as well.

Mike Riley started with OW USA in 1995 and became President in 2003 in addition to being CEO of their hospitality division for the past seven years. Riley stated, "I made the decision to join Couristan based on an alignment of visions with George and Ron as to the future of the industry as well as their decision and commitment to respond to the rapidly changing distribution landscape. Together with the talented Couristan team and the full support of the ownership, I am committed to achieving dramatic growth for Couristan in the US markets."